Halloween video: Darci Lynne, Jeff Dunham, and scary ventriloquism

Darcy Lynne Farmer’s recent America’s Got Talent win is uniting the ventriloquist community. Look at this team-up with Jeff Dunham, who has clearly selected the if-you-can’t-beat-’em-join-’em option. Young Lynne, who recently turned a mere 13, is currently the most visible ventriloquist in the United States, even as Dunham is promoting a popular new Netflix special, Relative Disaster. The two have teamed up for a Halloween video, posted on Dunham’s YouTube channel. In it, Darci and three of her most prominent puppet characters — Oscar the mouse, singing-rabbit Petunia, and old-lady Edna Doorknocker — go door-knocking on Halloween and arrive at Dunham’s house. There they are greeted by some of Dunham’s most familiar characters, including Achmed the Dead Terrorist, grumpy Walter, and the nutty Peanut.

Dunham is an honest ventriloquist and filmmaker: Except for the puppet-only close-up shots, there’s no vocal dubbing — whenever you see Darci, she’s “throwing” her voice, and her technique, as always, is impressive. (How does she manipulate three puppets at once? Magic, kids!) As for the humor, well, the clip, titled “The Haunted House on Dunham Hill,” is pretty corny, but it’s still a nice showcase for the young champ and the older pro. (Speaking of showcases, Vice Video recently posted a fun report from Kentucky’s Vent Haven Convention, filmed this past summer; that’s the world’s largest vent convention and performance showcase.) Farmer will be performing in Las Vegas the first week of November, in America’s Got Talent’s annual live show — one of the prizes for the show’s winner. She’ll be accompanied by the second-place winner, singer Angelica Hale. Happy Halloween.